Post-office furniture.



N0. 803,575. PATENTED NOV. 7, 1905 M. S. FIELD.

POST OFFICE FURNITURE. APPLIOATION TILED 11113.24, 1905.

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POST OFFICE FURNITURE. APPLICATION rum) MAB.24. 1905.

MAROELLUS S. FIELD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

POST-OFFICE FURNITURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Registered Nov. 7, 1905.

Application filed March 24, 1905. Serial No. 251,761.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARCELLUS S. FIELD, a citizen of the United States,residi1.g at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Post-Office Furniture, of which the following description, in connection with, the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like figures on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to post-oflice furniture, and especially to desks which are used for routing or arranging mail preparatory to its being bundled up and delivered by the letter-carrier. These desks usually comprise a table and a routing-case situated above the table, which is provided with a plurality of compartments into which the mail is arranged to correspond with the places of delivery along the route. Usually these cases are provided with shelves, and each shelf has partitions dividing it into various compartments. Sometimes a routing-strip is placed on the front of each shelf to assist the letter-carrier in assorting his mail. A desk of this character is shown in Patent No. 641,003, dated January 9, 1900, and also in my copending application,

Serial No. 227,665, filed October 8, 1904.

In all routing-cases now in use, so far as I am aware, the partitions are rigid with the shelves of the case. The result of this construction is that after the mail has been sorted and arranged in the compartments between the partitions the letters in each compartment have to be withdrawn separately preparatory to being bundled up. This, of necessity, consumes considerable time.

One of the purposes of my present invention is to provide a novel routing-case having such a construction that the gathering together of the routed or sorted mail can be greatly facilitated,the arrangement being such that all the mail on any one shelf can be withdrawn from the compartments simultaneously and then be bundled up, thus avoiding the necessity of withdrawing the mail from each compartment singly. I accomplish this by supporting the partitions independently from the shelves and making the shelves movable relative to the partitions. The shelves in their normal positions are placed so that the partitions divide them into the required compartments; but because the shelves are mounted independently from the partition the shelves and partitions may be separated, thus permitting the sorted mail on any one shelf to be gathered together with one movement. In

the best form of my invention now known to me I secure the partitions to the back of the case and make the shelves movable relative to said back, so that by a forward movement of the shelves they and the mail thereon may be withdrawn from the partitions.

My invention also includes a novel way of mounting the elevating-case so that it may be moved toward and from the front of the table-top and, if desired, toward and from the table-top.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of a routing-table embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line or a, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of one corner of the desk shown in Figs. land 2. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of another desk embodying my invention. Fig. 4.

3 designates a table or desk of any suitable construction, it having a table-top 4c and, preferably, side boards 5 and a back board 6. Mounted above the table is a routing-case, (designated generally by 7.) This routing-case is shown as having a plurality of shelves 8, which are divided into compartments or spaces by suitable partitions 9. One feature of my invention is mounting the shelves and partitions independently from each other, so that they may be moved relatively to each other.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the elevating-case has a back board 10 and side boards 11, the shelves 8 being slid-ably mounted in grooves 12 in the side boards, so that each shelf is independently removable. The partitions 9 are shown as being supported by the back board 10 of the case and as having no physical connection with the shelves 8. One convenient form of partition is merely a wire loop which stands horizontally, the legs-of theloop being secured in the back board 10. This loop is preferably of a sufiicient length to extend nearly to the front of the shelf when the latter is in place and is of sufiicient width to properly hold the letters when placed on the shelf. Each shelf has at its back edge a guard or back-stop 13, which prevents the letters from being pushed in too far, and, if desired, a routing-strip 14, having imprinted thereon the various points of the route along which mail is delivered, may be applied to the front edge of said shelves. Rigid with each shelf adjacent each end thereof is a guard or rest 15, which prevents the letters from falling off the ends of the shelves as the latter Fig. 5 is a section on the line y y,

are withdrawn, as will be presently described. The shelves are normally placed in position, as shown in full lines, Fig. 2, and in using this type of routing-case the letter-carrier sorts the mail on the table-top 4 and places each piece in the proper compartment on the proper shelf, so that when the mail is entirely sorted it is arranged on the shelves in the order in which it is to be delivered. After the mail has been thus arranged on the shelves each shelf in its order is drawn forward, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, this movement of the shelf carrying the letters with it out from between the partitions 9, as will be obvious, since the back-stop 13 of the shelf engages all the letters. The shelf may be entirely withdrawn from the case and laid on the table-top, or may be nearly withdrawn therefrom, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2. In either event the partitions 9 have been withdrawn from the letters which are now supported on the shelf between the two guards 15, and the letter-carrier can then with onemovement gather the letters together in a compact bundle which can be laid directly on the table-top, the letters in the bundle being arranged according to their order of delivery. After the empty shelf has been replaced in position on the routing-case another shelf may be withdrawn and the mail removed therefrom, as above described. It will thus be seen that the operation of removing the mail from the shelves and arranging it on the table-top in position to be bundled takes but a very short time as compared with the time necessary to remove the sorted mail from the shelves in prior devices.

In the embodiment above described each shelf is independently movable. My invention may be embodied in a routing-case in which the shelves are simultaneously movable relative to the partitions. Such a form of the invention is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, wherein the shelves 8 are supported by the side boards 11 of the routing-case and the partitions 9 are supported by the back board 10, all as described above. The difference between this embodiment and that above described, however, is that the side boards 11 and the shelves carried thereby are movable toward and from the back board 10, this movement operating to withdraw all the shelves simultaneously from the partitions instead of each shelf individually. The movable portion of the case, consisting of the side boards 11* and shelves and bottom board 20, is slidably mounted on suitable ways or guides 21, sustained by the side boards 5 of the table-top. 23 designates suitable springs, which are connected to the movable portion of the case and the table and which serve to assist the backward movement of the movable portion of the case. In using a desk embodying this form of my invention the movable portion of the case is moved backwardly against the back board 10, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 5, and the letter-carrier .backwardly by friction with the partitions.

sorts the mail, as above described, arranging it in the various compartments according to its order of delivery. When thus arranged, the movable portion of the case, comprising the side boards and shelves, may be moved forwardly, as shown in full lines, Fig. 5, thereby withdrawing all of the-letters from the partitions 9, the back-stops l3 preventing the mail from being drawn off the shelf After the shelves have been withdrawn from the partitions the mail on each shelf may be bundled together with one movement, as above described.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the case as a whole is capable of movement toward and from the table-top and also toward and from the front of the table-top. This is herein accomplished by providing the table with suitable inclined guides or ways 30, on which the routing-case is slidably mounted, said ways inclining forwardly and downwardly from the top of the back board 6 to the table-top a. The elevating-case may be guided by these ways in any suitable way.

As herein shown, the side boards of the case are provided with the extensions 31, having theirlower edgescutonaninclinetocorrespond with the incline of the ways 30, the inclined face of each extension having suitable guideeyes 82, which encircle and slide back and forth on the corresponding guide 30. Suitable springs 33 may be employed, if desired, to assist the operator in elevating the case.

In both embodiments of my invention herein illustrated the shelves are mounted independently of the partitions, so that the former may be removed from the latter, and said shelves are also mounted sothat they may be moved toward and from the front of the case.

I believe that it is broadly new with me to provide a routing-case in which the shelves and partitions are independently supported, so that all the mail on one shelf may be simultaneously withdrawn from the partitions, and therefore I desire to claim this feature broadly. \Vhile I have shown two ways of accomplishing this, it will be understood that my invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the drawings, and therefore I reserve to myself the right to make all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims.

34 designates suitable locking-latches, which, serve to hold the casein its retracted position.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In post-o'ffiee furniture, a table, and a routing-case above the table, said routing-case. having shelves and partitions for the shelves supported independently thereof.

2. In post-oflice furniture, a desk or table and a routing-case associated therewith, said routing-case comprising shelves, and partitions dividing the shelves into compartments, each shelf and the corresponding partition being independently supported and movable relatively to each other,

3. In post-office furniture, a desk or table, and a routing-case associated therewith, said routing-case having a shelf and partitions dividing said shelf into compartments, said shelf being movable relatively to the partitions.

4:. In post-office furniture, a desk or table and a routing-case associated therewith, said routing-case including a'shelf and partitions dividing the shelf into compartments, said shelf being movable toward and from the front of the case relatively to the partitions.

5. In post-oflice furniture, a desk or table and a routing-case associated therewith, said 

